Cidade de Bragança - Portugal

Bragança - Photos and Video

Bragança (Portugal):
is a city and a municipality in north-eastern Portugal and the capital of the district of Bragança, in Alto Trás-os-Montes.







The population of the municipality is 34,774and its total area is 1,173.6 kmª.
It lies on a branch of the Sabor River south of the Culebra Mountains, 255 km northeast of Porto, 515 km from Lisbon and 22 km. from the Spanish border. The city is at an elevation of 700m.
The seat of the municipality is the city of Bragança, which consists of two parishes (Sé and Santa Maria) and has a population of about 21,000.



The neighbouring municipalities are Vimioso in the southeast, Macedo de Cavaleiros in the southwest and Vinhais in the west. The city has a small airport.
Originally Bragança was a Celtic city known as Brigantia, the name of a celtic goddess, it later romanized its name to the present form. Historically the city has been important as the seat of the House of Bragança, which provided the kings of Portugal from 1640 to 1910 and the emperors of Brazil from 1822 to 1889; their feudal castle (built 1187) still remains. Catherine of Bragança became the queen consort (1662) of Charles II of England. An episcopal see, Bragança was the capital of the historical Trás-os-Montes province.

Attractions
Notable landmarks in the city include the 12th-century Domus Municipalis (Portugal's oldest and largest town hall), the Renaissance cathedral, and the old town walls, which are still well preserved and look down on the river and the modern city. In the city there is a well kept museum.

Economically the region still produces olive oil, grains, chestnuts and livestock, especially sheep. In recent years agriculture has suffered a decline with the abandonment of the villages and the aging of the rural population.